The game is based on the animated movie Legend of Crystania, which is set in the same universe as Record of Lodoss War, telling the story of two of its characters, Ashram and Pirotessa, escaping to the cursed land of Crystania and falling into the hand of animal gods. The game, however, doesn't follow this plot and instead is focusing on Crystania's internal troubles, particularly the evil Dragon God, whom the animal gods must defeat. The player can choose to play as either the female warrior Jenoba from the country of Istaria, or Pirotessa's former companion Boakes. The two adventures have different plots and begin in different locations.

The game's exploration is on par with other Japanese top-down RPGs, including towns and hostile areas, but without a world map. The battles are pre-set. Once the player-controlled party encounters a hostile character, a turn-based battle begins. The combat has a strategy element, allowing character to freely move on the battle field and attack only if enemies are within the range of their weapons. Characters can cast magical spells or use "talents", which deplete TP, or "talent points". [source:mobygames]